tagged w/ Developing World
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Tonight on Max and Jason: Still up
How India is becoming a superpower featuring...
Wrestling Indian Girls
The women of India are fighting for their independence. In this documentary short we explore how girls are learning wrestling at school and how it can lead to a prosperous career in new India.
http://current.com/items/89421886_wrestling-indian-girls.htm
Pretty (Bad Ass) in Pink
Sampat Pal heads the Gulabai Gang, a revolutionary movement in India committed to protecting women against social malpractice, corrupt administrators, and abusive husbands.
http://current.com/items/89107143_pretty-bad-ass-in-pink.htm
Catch the whole show. Tune in every weeknight at midnight/11 central for Max and Jason: Still Up.
http://current.com/max-and-jason-still-up/
Original air date: 10/19/09Tonight on Max and Jason: Still up
How India is becoming a superpower featuring...... more
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24 days ago
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Babar Ali is, quite possibly, the youngest headmaster in the world and, again, quite possibly, the only one to teach pupils in their backyard.
This is the story of Babar's day, teaching the kids from his village in West Bengal, eastern India.Babar Ali is, quite possibly, the youngest headmaster in the world and, again, quite... more
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It is now seen as an article of faith that the world suffers from overpopulation but exactly who are there too many of? You, me, my friends? For World Population Day 2009, we should be celebrating our increased numbers and looking forward to more not less of the earth’s richest resource, humanity. Volunteers present the case in this inspiring riposte to modern Malthusians.It is now seen as an article of faith that the world suffers from overpopulation but... more
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Le 22 avril dernier, au Salon S.O.S Terre 09, Alternative Channel TV s'est entretenue avec David Chaumel, Assistant logistique chez Cyclo Nord-Sud. Monsieur Chaumel nous a expliqué comment l'organisation québécoise aide au développement durable des villes du Sud en y envoyant des milliers de vélos chaque année.Le 22 avril dernier, au Salon S.O.S Terre 09, Alternative Channel TV s'est entretenue... more
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Watercone is a polycarbonate cone with the capacity to purify up to 1.5 liters of water a day with just a little solar energy. The simple yet innovative solar still was announced as the national winner for the pilot project in Yemen by the International Jury of the Energy Globe 2008.Watercone is a polycarbonate cone with the capacity to purify up to 1.5 liters of... more
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The global North's super-sized carbon footprint has already trampled the South's farmers, most recently in the form of energy crop plantations, which have been directly responsible for deforestation and farmer evictions in some developing countries, including Indonesia and Tanzania.
Now the world's largest seed and agrochemical corporations are stockpiling hundreds of monopoly patents on genes in crops genetically engineered to withstand the environmental stresses associated with climate change, such as drought, heat, cold, floods and saline soils.
In 2008 the Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration reported that the largest of these companies, including BASF, Bayer, DuPont, Monsanto and Syngenta, had already filed 532 patent documentson so-called 'climate ready' genes at patent offices around the world.
Beyond Europe and the United States, patent offices in major food-producing countries — including Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico and South Africa — are also being swamped. Since last year's count, the 'Gene Giants' have filed at least 65 more patent documents related to the ability of plants to tolerate environmental stresses, as opposed to biological stresses such as pests or weeds. Monsanto, the world's largest seed company, and BASF, the world's largest chemical firm, have forged a colossal US$1.5 billion partnership to develop such crops, suggesting that the number of patent filings to date is just the beginning.
Bad news
But the huge number of patent filings does not mean that these companies have found the key to unlocking how plants withstand environmental stresses — though they may be knocking on the right door. We do not yet know how these plants will perform in the field. What is clear is that their appearance in the marketplace will increase the concentration of corporate power, drive up costs, inhibit independent research, and, most alarmingly, undermine the rights of farmers to save and exchange seeds.
There is a further danger that, as the climate crisis deepens, governments may strong-arm farmers into planting prescribed biotech seeds with traits deemed essential for adaptation. This is already happening in the United States — the government's Federal Crop Insurance Corporation gives a discount to farmers planting Monsanto's biotech maize seed because, according to data submitted by Monsanto, there is reduced risk of low yields compared to other varieties. It is common for US policies to serve as templates for developing countries, so we shouldn't be surprised to see other governments following suit.
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Patents. This is how they will gain control of the world's food supply, and then through innocent looking and vaguely worded bills like HR 875 and others, work behind the scenes to regulate what farmers can plant.The global North's super-sized carbon footprint has already trampled the South's... more
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In the developing world clean water & sanitation are very scarce. In these parts of the world not only do they lack the infrastructure to attain clean water, but also the infrastructure to deal with all their waste, so they end up contaminating the little water they have. Enter the PeePoo Bag...In the developing world clean water & sanitation are very scarce. In these parts of... more
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A key question that is often asked about ecological agriculture, including organic agriculture, is whether it can be productive enough to meet the world’s food needs. While many agree that ecological agriculture is desirable from an environmental and social point of view, there remain fears that ecological and organic agriculture produce low yields.
This short paper will summarize some of the available evidence to demystify the productivity debate and demonstrate that ecological agriculture is indeed productive.
In general, yields from ecological agriculture can be broadly comparable to conventional yields in developed countries. In developing countries, ecological agriculture practices can greatly increase productivity, particularly if the existing system is low-input, which is the largely the case for Africa. This paper will focus mainly on evidence from developing countries.
A recent study examined a global dataset of 293 examples and estimated the average yield ratio (organic : non-organic) of different food categories for the developed and developing world (Badgley et al., 2007). For most of the food categories examined, they found that the average yield ratio was slightly less than 1.0 for studies in the developed world, but more than 1.0 for studies in developing countries.
On average, in developed countries, organic systems produce 92% of the yield produced by conventional agriculture. In developing countries, however, organic systems produce 80% more than conventional farms.
With the average yield ratios, the researchers then modeled the global food supply that could be grown organically on the current agricultural land base. They found that organic methods could hypothetically produce enough food on a global per capita basis to sustain the current human population, and potentially an even larger population, without putting more farmland into production.
Moreover, contrary to fears that there are insufficient quantities of organically acceptable fertilizers, the data suggest that leguminous cover crops could fix enough nitrogen to replace the amount of synthetic fertilizer currently in use.
This model suggests that organic agriculture could potentially provide enough food globally, but without the negative environmental impacts of conventional agriculture.A key question that is often asked about ecological agriculture, including organic... more
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When you have workers and farmers growing tons of grain that go to biofuel, animal feed, and other uses besides food when there are other alternatives, you only perpetuate global hunger. However, worse than this is allowing food production from seed to fork to be controlled by a small group of corporations that dictate how you will grow the food and what you will grow without giving you a voice in the process. This is now the crux of what is driving global hunger.
Is not food like water a human right?When you have workers and farmers growing tons of grain that go to biofuel, animal... more
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Dr. Robert Hoffman lives and works in Columbus, Ohio, as a pediatric endocrinologist – a doctor who cares for kids with diabetes and growth problems. Dr. Hoffman is so passionate about helping kids that he regularly sacrifices his time and money traveling to developing countries to share both his medical expertise and his faith in God. His busy schedule and travel do mean he gets to spend less time with his family, but he thinks his experiences in other parts of the world are worth the sacrifice.Dr. Robert Hoffman lives and works in Columbus, Ohio, as a pediatric endocrinologist... more
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Over 1.1 billion people in the world don't have access to clean drinking water. When I heard of a water purifier that uses nanotechnology to purify water even from fecal matter contaminated water sources, I couldn't help but test it out the "uncultured" way.Over 1.1 billion people in the world don't have access to clean drinking water. When I... more
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Even if every industrialized country were to reduce its emissions to zero by 2050, atmospheric carbon levels would still be above what scientists tell us is dangerous.
That's a pretty powerful statement, and it leads to the question: How do we convince developing countries to set limits on their emissions? A possible answer to that challenge brought me to Ghana this week.
Environmental Defense Fund has long been a staunch supporter of market mechanisms to achieve environmental goals. "Clean investment budgets," or CIBs, are one such mechanism that could help move the world towards a global climate deal. It's a potential grand bargain between industrialized and some developing countries.
CIBs would reward developing countries that take a firm cap on emissions earlier than would otherwise be required. They take advantage of timing, allowing developing economies to use the global carbon market to help finance their transition to cleaner energy production.
Please consult our overview of how CIBs work for more on the actual mechanism and a concrete example. To get a sense of the discussion among economists, you might visit a blog post I wrote for Environmental Economics, which is getting some thoughtful comments. (I wrote that post in response to an article that Carter Bales and Rick Duke published in Foreign Affairs.)
Here in Ghana, we are looking forward to making a presentation about CIBs at a side event this evening. We'll help the delegates and our colleagues understand how this mechanism can help avert dangerous changes to our climate.
-This post is by Gernot Wagner, an economist in our Climate and Air program who is attending this week's negotiations in Accra, Ghana.
Even if every industrialized country were to reduce its emissions to zero by 2050,... more
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Nicole Kuepper is a PhD student from Australia who has developed a way to make solar cells using cheaper materials and less technical knowledge. Her process will open up all kinds of possibilities for clean energy in developing countries.Nicole Kuepper is a PhD student from Australia who has developed a way to make solar... more
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Little research has been done to understand how investments in girls impact economic growth and the health andwell-being of communities.
This lack of data reveals how pervasively girls have been overlooked.
For millions of girls across the developing world, there are no systems to record their birth, their citizenship, or even their identity.
However, the existing research suggests their impact can reach much farther than expected.Little research has been done to understand how investments in girls impact economic... more
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While some peeps complain about distances and gas prices, other go the distance and raise a little money in between.
WASHINGTON. Friday Harbor High School graduates Amber and Kelsea Peterman bicycled from Seattle to San Francisco to raise money for – and awareness of – women’s health issues in sub-Saharan Africa.
The ride was called the Bike to End Fistula.
“Fistula is a childbirth injury from prolonged labor and lack of delivery services which occurs mostly in Africa and the Middle East,” Kelsea explained.
**Why we are doing it:
Chances are if you know us or received an email, you may have heard of gynecological fistula--an injury most commonly associated with prolonged labor which leaves women incontinent (and thus dribbling urine or feces for the remainder of her life, vesicovaginal or rectovaginal fistula). Virtually unheard of in the developed world, over 3 million women are estimated to be living with untreated fistula in developing countries and an additional 30,000 to 100,000 develop cases each year on the African subcontinent alone. Women with fistula are often ostracized, forced out of their homes and communities because they are unable to work and bear children.
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Nice story (link) , includes their blog address at the bottom
http://biketoendfistula.blogspot.com/While some peeps complain about distances and gas prices, other go the distance and... more
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More poor people are falling victim to global disasters than ever before, says a new report that tracks carnage.
This higher level of vulnerability is occurring even though emergency preparedness is generally better and there were fewer floods, droughts and earthquakes in 2007 than in previous years, says the 2008 World Disasters Report released Thursday by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
More than 201 million people were affected by disasters, a 40 per cent increase over 2006. But of those killed, a disproportionate number came from vulnerable people in developing countries.
Almost two-thirds of the world's disasters dating back to 2004 have occurred in Asia and the Pacific and in Africa, the report said. "It is a sad reality that the people most affected and hardest hit by disasters are amongst the poorest in the world," Charlie Musoka, manager of emergency response for the Canadian Red Cross, said in a statement.
In all, 405 natural disasters were reported in 2007 and they inflicted a cost of almost $63.5 billion. Another 141 "technical disasters" occurred, industrial, transport or miscellaneous accidents, such as a ferry sinking or a mine collapse.
Together, they claimed the lives of 23,167 people across the globe in 2007. While that is far lower than the yearly average of 113,000 deaths of the last decade, those figures take into account the year that most skewed the average - 2004, when the Asian tsunami that followed the earthquake off the coast of Indonesia killed more than 230,000.
But this year is shaping up to be just as bad.
The toll of dead or missing from the May 2 cyclone that struck Myanmar rose this week to 138,000, while the number of dead in the China earthquake 10 days later has risen to almost 69,000 and is expected to keep climbing, amid fears that rivers now blocked by landslides could burst. In all, more than two billion people have been affected by disasters in the last decade, the report said. Floods, at 28 per cent, tropical cyclones at 12 per cent, earthquakes at 11 per cent and epidemics at nine per cent accounted for the majority of disasters categorized between 2004 and 2008, the study said.
- Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News ServiceMore poor people are falling victim to global disasters than ever before, says a new... more
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Most of us think of leather as 'natural', but this shocking film reveals that the tanning of leather goods - everything from must have handbags to car interiors - can involve up to 300 different toxic chemcials. As this film shows, the leather we wear and use is often produced under appalling conditions by impoverished people in countires like Bangladesh, many of whom won't live past the age of 50 because of their day-to-day exposure the poisonous chemicals involved in bringing cheap leather goods to the masses in the developed world. The toxic legacy of these chemicals goes far beyond the factory, however, since the effluent from the tanneries is often discharged straight into the local waterways where it poisons local people who drink, wash and grow crops using this tainted water. A film that gives a whole new meaning to the idea of 'shoes to die for'.Most of us think of leather as 'natural', but this shocking film reveals that the... more
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Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling for increased and expanded use of nutrient dense ready-to-use food (RUF) to reduce the five million annual deaths worldwide related to malnutrition in children under five years of age. Current food aid, which focuses on fighting hunger—not on treating malnutrition—is not doing enough to address the needs of young children most at risk.
What is therapeutic ready-to-use food?
Commercialized therapeutic RUF takes the form of a peanut/milk-based paste with all nutrients essential to treat severe acute malnutrition. It comes in individually wrapped airtight foil packets, that are resistant to bacterial infection and easy to distribute. The product has a long shelf life, making it easy to store, transport and to use in hot climates as an efficient way to provide milk to children under three.
"It's not only about how much food children get, it's what's in the food that counts," said Dr. Christophe Fournier, president of MSF's International Council. "Without the right amounts of vitamins and essential nutrients in their diet, young kids become vulnerable to disease that they would normally be able to fight off easily. Calls for increased food aid ignore the special needs of young children who are at the greatest risk of dying."
RUFs, which come in individually wrapped rations, contain all the necessary nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that a young child needs. This dense therapeutic food, which has milk powder, sugars, and vegetable fats, can be produced and stored locally and transported easily, and requires no refrigeration, making it ideal for use in hot climates. It allows a child to recover from being malnourished and catch up on lost growth. Being easy-to-use, mothers—not doctors and nurses—are the main caregivers, meaning far more children at risk can be reached.
"In Somalia we are giving acutely malnourished kids packets of ready-to-use food and we see them gain weight and begin thriving within a couple of weeks," said Dr Gustavo Fernandez, MSF head of mission in Somalia. "RUFs are practical to use in places like Somalia where security is very bad. General food distribution is also needed, but it is not going to be very effective to treat kids under three years old."
Severe acute malnutrition in early childhood is common in large areas of the Horn of Africa, the Sahel, and South Asia -- the world's "malnutrition hotspots." The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 20 million young children suffering from severe acute malnutrition at any given moment and MSF estimates that only three percent of them will receive RUF in 2007.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling for... more
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This is heartbreaking. Not only because this is happening to children, but because it is totally preventable. There are no longer any words to express my outrage at what is going on in this world. I cannot fathom the total lack of tolerance, intelligence, and planning on the part of governments. I cannot tolerate the absolute disregard for human beings by other human beings, and the conditions we exacerbate still knowing full well what is causing them with the ability to stop them. How does one who cares so deeply for the children of this world read something like this and not feel helpless?
These poor people are kept in total poverty for the benefit of organizations like The World Bank, and yes, even the UN, and I find it appalling. For all of the talk we hear year after year after year about eradicating poverty, famine, and water scarcity and pollution which are causing the diseases plaguing the developing world, we get little to no results in addressing it. For all of the money thrown at it we get little to no results.
This is simply so pervasive and so overwhelming in scope that it is beyond human comprehension. We as a species will never be able to live down what we have done to despoil not only this planet but our own species and those that have no voice. And the children... the innocent children who have known nothing but hunger, disease, and despair. What of them? Where is their hope? Where is their food? Where is their water? Where is the education to show them how to plant and build a life for themselves instead of depending on The World Bank and other bloodsucking organizations that loan them money they can never repay back thus keeping the cycle of poverty and inequality going round? Are they to now only be the focus of the media just to get ratings?
All I can say is, thanks to organizations like Doctors Without Borders these children will at least have a chance to get proper medical care and food. I have come to conclusion however, that governments around this world for all their talk are simply too corrupt, selfish, and inadequate to address the crises we face adequately with the moral fortitude necessary to conquer them.
NO CHILD IN THIS WORLD SHOULD GO HUNGRY OR THIRSTY. And to think we have all we need to make sure that doesn't happen but yet it still does is a shameful reflection on all of us.
More at http://water-is-life.blogspot.com
WATER IS LIFE.This is heartbreaking. Not only because this is happening to children, but because it... more
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If the super-rich and the world's largest companies paid their fair share in taxes, more than 5 million children could be saved in the developing world, according to a report by Christian Aid. The British charity group says the widespread, damaging effects of tax abuse is "tantamount to a new slavery." It says that at least £82 billion ($160 billion) in tax revenues each year that could go to poor countries is instead being redirected to tax havens.
Christian Aid has condemned high-profile individuals and corporations for minimizing their tax bills by banking offshore. They recognize there is a conventional distinction between such 'tax avoidance' and the unlawful 'tax evasion', but are effectually the same. "The pursuit of profit outweighs all other considerations, including good citizenship and social responsibility."
EU governments have recently tried to crackdown on tax havens in hopes of recovering lost revenues. Ironically, though, even Britain's CDC plc, formerly the Commonwealth Development Corporation and still owned by the Department for International Development, pays no taxes on its £350m of profits, thanks to its use of tax havens, even though its main aim is to fund development projects.
What do you think about Christian Aid's claims that the super-rich have social responsibility to the developing world? Should individuals/corporations be allowed to protect their assets if they're doing so legally?If the super-rich and the world's largest companies paid their fair share in taxes,... more
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